Empty
by ConspiratingYourDemise
Summary: Max and her flock are ripped apart. Oneshot. Slight FAX. WARNING: Character death. Kind of depressing.


Max's eyes were rimmed red as she watched Angel and Gazzy walk hand-in hand towards their new car, heading to their new house, preparing for a new life.

A life without Max.

Jeb had come to Dr. M's house one evening, stating he had found all of their parents. Iggy objected, stating he'd already lived with them and he wouldn't do it again. He ended up losing that argument. Angel and Gazzy were disgusted with their parents. They couldn't even think about wanting to live with such horrible, uncaring people. Jeb countered that it was their mother that had sold them, not their father. They lost that argument as well. Nudge was ecstatic. Max didn't even think that she cared she would be leaving all of them behind. Fang was neutral. It seemed like he didn't care whether he went or not. But Max knew him inside and out. She knew he was wanting to meet his mystery mom.

After many soggy hugs and sad goodbyes, Fang was the last one left. His mom, who was actually really nice, was out loading Fang's bags into the car. Max and Fang turned to face eachother, new tears spilling out of Max's eyes. She ran to him, embracing him in a wet hug, sobbing loudly. Her flock, her family, was being mercilessly ripped apart. Fang embraced her tightly, aready knowing that he would miss her. He would miss her more than anyone else in the flock.

Slowly, they came apart, Max was sniffling. Fang's mother strode back in. She smiled at her son, and asked if he was ready to go. Glancing at Max, he nodded his head, and walked out of the airport with his mother. A fresh round of hot tears sprang to Max's eyes, and she broke down sobbing, right in the middle of the hotel lobby. Fang, her best friend, was moving all the way to New York, while she had to stay in Arizona. She didn't know how much more of this heartbreak she could take.

Dr. Martinez put a warm hand on her distraught daughter's shoulder. Her eyes were sympathetic. She took Max's hands, and they walked out to the car. Opening the door for her daughter, Max objected, mumbling something about flying home. She took a running leap, and unfurled her beautiful wings, not caring who saw. There were many shocked exclamations, sharp intakes of breath, while Dr. M just shaded her eyes, and stared after her daughter.

Max didn't know what she was going to do. Her family was gone. It felt like someone had just knocked the breath out of her. In the course of many fights she'd have in her life, this had to be one of the worst beatings she had ever gotten. The strong air whipped her hair everywhere, and stung her tear-filled eyes, as she poured on the speed. Suddenly, Max found herself somewhere familiar. She looked around at the burned remains of the E-shaped house. Max gave up. She sat on a rock near the charred materials, something caught her eye. Among the burned belongings, she saw a picture. Striding towards it she picked it up. It was the flock. She looked up at the evening sky and cried like she never had before, feeling a fresh wave of sorrow. She scanned the debris again, her eyes falling on a slightly muttled up stuffed animal. It was Angel's old bunny. She picked it up, brushed it off some, and shoved it in her small bag. She folded up the picture with it's burnt edges, gingerly putting it in her pocket. It was now her most prized posession.

Max sat for a little while. She knew that nothing would ever be the same. Her flock completed her, and now she felt empty. What was she to do without them? Sure there was cell phones, email, and she could always fly over to see them... But she wouldn't have them with her all the time.

Looking up at the sky once more, she hadn't even realized that it was night time.

Max got up, shook herself off, and took to the skies again. She was in Colorado. She didn't even know how she had started in Arizona before, and headed to Colorado. She must have been too caught up in her thoughts. She hoped her mother wasn't too worried.

After about three hours of nonstop flight, she finally arrived at Dr. M's modest little house. The lights were all turned off, signifying that everyone was already in bed. Thankfully the door was unlocked, so she quietly made her way into the room that she had before shared with Nudge and Angel. Plopping onto her bed, her night vision took effect. She looked around her room, taking in the unmade beds that the two girls had just slept in not that long ago. Perhaps the most painful thing she saw was Angel's bear, Celeste, tossed carelessly over her comforter. She must have forgotten it in her excitement to see her father she had heard so much about, Max thought sadly.

They didn't need her anymore. The Flock didn't depend on her anymore. Now they had real parents to depend on.

Max opened her window wide, letting the cool night air waft into the room. Not even bothering to change into pajamas, she fell onto her bed, holding Celeste securely to her chest. She cried herself to sleep that night.

Fang had flown for ten hours straight, no breaks taken, when finally he saw the familiar house. It was Max's house. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that her window was open. He soundlessly dropped into her dark room. She looked restless. He sat on the side of her bed, her back facing him. He started playing with her hair, brushing it off of her neck. He saw something that made his blood run cold.

There. On the back of her neck, was a date. It was tomorrow. Max was going to die tomorrow. Suddenly, Max jumped back into consiousness. She gasped when she saw him, and then hurled herself into his arms. He was startled, but hugged her tightly back.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He whispered.

Max immediatly knew what he was talking about. She wept into his shoulder. His eyes filled with tears. This would be the first of many tears he was sure to cry.

Eventually, she fell asleep in his arms, and Fang layed down too, falling into a just as restless sleep.

When the morning came, Fang was scared. Not knowing when it would happen, or where. They decided to go somewhere. Fang led the way. They were far away from home again. In a cave. Their cave. The cave where they shared their first 'real kiss'.

Fang cradled Max in her arms, when suddenly she gasped.  
He looked down at her, sure that now was the time.

"Fang... Tell everyone that I love them," She commanded.

His eyes filled with tears. "Okay," He whispered.

"I-I'm scared, Fang," She told him, worry in her eyes.

"Me too," He choked out.

"Oh, Fang," She whispered. "I love you, Fang. More than you'll ever understand." Were her last words. She went limp in his arms.

The world shifted, just then. Gently setting her down, Fang walked to the cave's entrance. He looked up at the sky. He knew why the world shifted. It was because Max was no longer in it.

Picking Max's body back up, he whispered in her ear, "I won't be far behind."

He flew sorrowfully to Dr. M's house.  
He wordlessly walked in the front door.

Dr. M gasped when she saw Max's lifeless form.

"She... Expired." Fang explained in a choked whisper. "She... She said she loved you."  
And with that, he ran out the door. It was all too much for him. He ran to find the rest of the flock.

When the flock was all gathered, there were many confused faces all around. The sentence, "Where's Max?" Floated around the forest they had all landed in.

"That's why I'm here," Fang explained. "Max... Expired. She wanted you all to know she loved you." His eyes shifted downward, to avoid all of the shocked and upset expressions. There was a surprised silence about the scenery, until Angel let out a wail that pierced it all.

Fang fled, once again. He knew exactly where he was going. He had made a promise to Max that he wouldn't be far behind her. He intended on keeping that promise.  
He arrived at a sheer cliff face he had spotted on the way to meeting the Flock. It was a drop of about three hundred feet, down into a canyon.

He looked up at the sky. "I love you," he whispered. He shut his eyes, and he leapt. He felt the air rush around him, experiencing the familiar feeling of what it was like to freefall. But this time, he wouldn't whip out his wings at the last second, like he usually did. Instead of his life flashing before his eyes, it was images of Max. Her laughing, fighting, loving. His life wasn't interesting enough to watch, anyways.

_I'm coming, Max._


End file.
